Biometric Vendors Still Hoping To Cash In on Death and Suffering
And it's still not working. The technology that is - the effort to cash in seems to be going pretty well.

Face recognition fails in Boston airport. The patriotic scam goes on [The Register] 

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Real Moves Around Windows Media
Further details on Real's effort to undercut Microsoft's media server business.

Real to steal Microsoft's media thunder?. In an effort to fend off rival Microsoft, RealNetworks plans to unveil "Helix," a new open source version of its media streaming software that supports multiple file formats. [CNET News.com] 

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Can Real Undercut Microsoft?
RealNetworks Poses Challenge to Microsoft. In a significant challenge to Microsoft, RealNetworks plans to announce a new version of its software that can distribute audio and video in a range of formats, including Microsoft's own proprietary Windows Media. By John Markoff. [New York Times: Technology] 

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Can we trust Microsoft's Palladium?
Open Source advocate Bruce Perens believes Palladium will spell the end for open source software, claiming "If Microsoft has its way, there just won't be any open-source software." The reason is that unsigned code won't be executed by the system. If Microsoft controls signing, then they control what runs on the system. They maintain they'll let others sign code. One imagines just like others can build browsers. They also maintain that Palladium isn't about DRM. But as the article points out, "(Microsoft's) arguments about DRM are also somewhat muddied by the fact that late last year Microsoft was quietly granted a patent for just what he says it's not building: 'The Digital Rights Management Operating System,' protected by U.S. patent numbers 6,330,670 and 6,327,652." Just coincidence, I'm sure.

"Critics say Redmond's new security initiative will imprison users. But why would Bill Gates want to do that? " 

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